Key words: language anxiety, language learning, teaching methods, online pedagogy, methodology,  teaching foreign languages.  Резюме

anxiety is understood as an unstable psychological state, which is characterized by a feeling of 
emotional discomfort to varying degrees, can also manifest itself as a psychophysiological reaction 
to a stimulus: changes and an increase in heart rate, sweating, pressure, general well-being, etc. [1] 
Psychology identifies two main types of anxiety by origin: 1) psychophysiological state; 2) 
personality trait [2]. 
The phenomenon of foreign language anxiety was studied by EL Horwitz, MB Horwitz, 
Cope, and as a result of their work, the main three causes of its occurrence were identified: 1) fear 
of communicating in a foreign language; 2) fear of negative assessment; 3) examination anxiety [3]. 
Researchers have proposed a tool for measuring the level of anxiety, a scale that includes 33 points 
(FLCAS). As a result of subsequent empirical studies, one part of the specialists came to the 
conclusion that foreign language anxiety is situationally conditioned and should not be considered 
as a character trait or conditional (for example, exmaen), the specificity of educational activity. The 
second part of the researchers believe that emotionally unstable individuals (fear, self-esteem, 
shyness, etc.) are more prone to experiencing foreign language anxiety. 
For a long time in the literature on the methodology of teaching foreign languages, mastering 
foreign language skills was considered to be a similar process to the development of children's 
speech. However, later authors came to the conclusion that the process of learning foreign language 
among school children, students and adults is fundamentally different from the system of 
development of children's speech (ontogenesis). In youth age, the internal mechanism of the 
development of children's speech ceases in operation, and it is the factor that explains why the study 
of a foreign language often turns into a difficult process that doesn`t always succeed in perception. 
This problem especially arises when a foreign language is studied exclusively in a classroom 
environment, in the absence of a linguistic environment. American linguist R. Blay-Vroman argues 
that in the conditions described above, when a foreign language is studied in the absence of a 
language environment, successful language acquisition is almost impossible. We should only talk 
about the ‘variation in degree of success’ [4, 41]. Since the language itself is a very complex and 
multifaceted phenomenon, the learner can succeed in pronouncing sounds, but not mastering 
grammar very well or, knowing grammar well, cannot achieve fluency, etc.
In the methodological literature, there are two approaches to teaching languages - as a foreign 
and as a second language, depending on which country the language is being studied in. These 
factors are also complemented by the developed methodology of teaching English, which is 
recognized throughout the world as successful. 
Theoretically, regardless of all the above factors contributing to the successful mastery of a 
foreign language, scientists S. Krashen, S. Gass, R. Bley-Vroman and others argue that in every 
person there is an innate mechanism for language acquisition ('language acquisition device' by 
definition Krashen) and a specific language cognitive system ('Language-Specific Cognitive 
System' as defined by Blay-Vroman) [1]. At the same time, every adult has experience in acquiring 
language skills and linguistic intuition, since in the process of mastering their native language, skills 
are developed that further help them in learning foreign languages. A foreign language is not some 
absolutely ‘foreign entity’. A student of a foreign language knows approximately that both the 
target language and the native language have a number of common elements such as a verb, noun, 
pronouns, adjectives, numbers, etc. 
Any teaching, especially language learning, is an emotional experience, and the psychological 
state of the student in the process of acquiring knowledge, the mood caused by the educational 
process, can sometimes be a factor that hinders or contributes to the effectiveness or ineffectiveness 
of the results. 
The well-known methodologist Karl Rogers notes that one of the leading principles of 
teaching a foreign language should be the following thesis: “A person is, first of all, an emotional 
being, which is at the same time a physical and cognizing subject” [5]. Taking into account the 
affective factor in teaching a foreign language means creating an environment in which the teacher 
and the student become psychologically equal partners in interaction. The psychological 
environment in the classroom can significantly affect the process of language acquisition, especially 

in the early stages of learning. Researchers Oxford and Shearin insist that, from the very beginning, 
an educational environment should be created where positive emotions are cultivated, favorable for 
the self-realization of students, the realization of their intellectual abilities. They believe that a 
person can maximize his abilities when a favorable atmosphere of security, safety, respect, moral 
and psychological balance is created. In contrast, feelings of fear and anxiety have an adverse effect 
on students' self-esteem and, in some cases, can discourage students from learning a language. 
Students willingly study and successfully master a foreign language when there are no 
psychological barriers that arise under certain conditions. These obstacles grow if the teacher does 
not pay attention to the psychological characteristics of students, is indifferent to their difficulties 
and does not respect their individuality, and is emotionally unstable. According to the observations 
of specialists, the affective characteristics of the teacher himself are much more important than the 
properties of the students, since the atmosphere in the classroom is created and controlled, first of 
all, by the teacher. If he is a creative, interested person who infects his students with his enthusiasm, 
encourages and supports them, the acquisition of a foreign language will be much more successful. 
At the same time, the individual characteristics of the students themselves influence the 
learning process. Why do some students work hard and willingly on mastering the language, and 
the difficulties that arise only add to them energy and desire to achieve their goal. At the same time, 
others do everything reluctantly, and the appearance of any significant obstacles dramatically 
reduces their activity. Such differences can be observed under the same external conditions of 
educational activity: a competent teacher, high organization of the educational process, etc. This 
phenomenon is explained by such individual psychological characteristics of a student as 
motivation, ability and inclination to learn a language, personal characteristics, self-esteem. , age 
and willingness to take risks. Motivation is a powerful factor in language learning. According to 
cognitive theory, students learn when they actively think about what they are teaching and whether 
they should want to do it. According to Brown [6], “motivation is an internal motivation, impulse, 
feeling or strong desire that pushes an individual to a special action”. As a rule, the motive for 
learning a foreign language can be: cognitive (acquaintance with the culture of the country of the 
target language), professional (career growth, scientific research, study abroad) and moral (to gain 
respect among friends, to be in the mainstream of fashion). Brown also highlights 1) ‘global 
motivation’ - the desire to learn a foreign language, 2) ‘situation motivation’ - the desire to learn a 
language in the classroom or in a natural environment, 3) ‘task motivation ’– the desire to perform 
certain tasks during the educational process. 
The teacher, giving preference to the factors that contribute to the acquisition of a foreign 
language in the course of learning, and, as much as possible avoiding the factors that hinder the 
successful learning of languages, can turn this process into an exciting cognitive experience, it all 
depends on the skill and resourcefulness of the teacher. 
Due to the current situation in the world, students and learners all over the world have 
switched to online and distance learning, which has led to additional stress in learning foreign 
languages. In addition to the main causes of foreign language anxiety, there are additional problems 
associated with connecting to the network, lack of direct contact with teachers and stress caused by 
self-isolation. Thus, learning a foreign language can be accompanied by the manifestation of 
anxiety, which in turn leads to a decrease in learning outcomes. 

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